Evil is Relative
by Nessa Star
Summary: What does it mean to be the bad guy? Naruto is taken by Itachi when he's six to escape the village and ends up growing up in the middle of a group of 'evil' people. Accepting the Red Dawn as his family is the easy part. Accepting himself is another matter
1. Two Little Monsters

This is just my little tribute to the 'Akatsuki raise Naruto' idea. I'm giving it my own sadistic little twist as well (if you've read any of my other stories, you know how screwed up my brain can get), and I don't know how well people are going to like it. So if you _do_ like it, _tell me!_ My last story got discontinued and deleted because no one was reviewing, even though it got a lot of views. So if you want this story to continue past this chapter, _please_ give me support. I'm not too confident in my works...

That said, please enjoy the story.

Rated T now, but might go up later for gore.

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He had always liked Naruto.

It was true. He had been truly loyal to the boy's father and him _alone_ when he was alive, and when the man's wife had been in the throes of childbirth, Itachi was the only one nearby to help play midwife for her and her baby. He had been the one to suggest the name Naruto in the first place. He had been there the moment that the boy's mother had died, clutching her husband's hand with tears running down her face. He had been there at the very beginning, when the little newborn boy had been crying in his father's arms. As soon as Itachi had stepped forward and taken the boy to try and see what he needed, the tiny blond had gone completely silent and looked up at him with the same beautiful blue eyes as the only person that had ever shown him complete and total trust.

Minato had been _kind_ to him. On several occasions, Itachi had told him things that should have frightened away a lesser man. He told his Hokage about his urges- the desire to kill that flowed just beneath his skin- he had told him about how disgusted he was by most people- how humans seemed so insignificantly _meek_- and how one day, he truly wished to just take up a sword and shove it into his own chest to escape it all.

But what had the man done? Had he told anyone else about what Itachi had shared with him? Did he try to put the Uchiha through therapy?

No. He had accepted what Itachi had said and helped him through it himself. He had told Itachi that if he _wanted_ to kill others, then he should just ask for more S rank missions so he could slate his blood lust on his opponents. He had admitted that a lot of humans were just annoyingly weak, but that as someone _with_ power, it was his duty to _protect_ those people. He had given him a reason to live, to get up in the morning and catch just the merest glimpse of the tip of his red-tipped white coat fluttering down the hall.

Minato was everything to Itachi.

And when he died... a piece of Itachi died with him.

He still remembered what the man had taught him... how to control his darker emotions and make them something constructive... but he still felt like just going and throwing himself down on the man's grave and never leaving, some days. He had always tried to keep an eye on poor Naruto- to try and keep him out of trouble- but he knew that the villagers were beating the child up and constantly trying to kill him. He pulled many of the strings he had to get the boy off the streets and into an orphanage, but even then he was still treated worse than dirt.

That had been when he got an offer.

He had made ANBU captain level at thirteen, and when he did, something strange happened. A letter came for him written in a neat scrawl, and when he read it, his heart nearly stopped.

_Uchiha Itachi  
We know of your pain. We know of what you must put up with every day of your life, living a lie you never wanted to even see. You are strong, Uchiha. But we can make you stronger.  
You know who we are. You know of us as the Akatsuki. This fact may make you desire to throw this letter away, but I ask you to read it through.  
We are offering you a seat as one of our ten ruling members of Akatsuki. Stuck as you are, you have no chance of making a true change in this world. At most, you'll grow to be the leader of your village, sacrifice yourself for your village, and get your face carved into a big rock. Do you really want to spend your life surrounded by the people who hurt the son of your dear teacher and leader? Do you really want to keep company with the people responsible for his __**death?**__  
If you're confused, speak to your clan about the Kyuubi. That should make you understand.  
And when you understand, make a decision. Just remember, our gates are always open to you.  
_

Below this, a symbol of a red cloud was drawn as a signature. Itachi looked down at the letter in half horror, half stunned revelation.

Akatsuki.

They wanted him to join?

Akatsuki.

The people of this village had always been scum...

Akatsuki.

The Red Dawn.

He turned on his heel, walking swiftly towards his house. He had to have a word with his clan about the Kyuubi...

As soon as he got to the front door, he opened it as politely as he could, not wanting to admit that he was angry. His father glanced over at him, curious, and he bowed once to put the man at ease.

"I apologize for disrupting you, but I wished to know your opinion on something." he stated, eyes guarded. He didn't want to let on how worried he was about the answer. "I've recently come to find a piece of information that I would like to confirm."

"Of coarse, Itachi." his father smiled at him encouragingly, still caught up in the rush of his thirteen year old son being an ANBU captain already and mistakenly believing that the boy was completely loyal to him. "Ask whatever you want."

"...does our clan have any connection to the Kyuubi?" he asked, wondering if he was wording it right.

To his horror, his father laughed once, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"...I should have known better than to think _you_ wouldn't figure it out, genius as you are. As a little present for your promotion, I'll tell you." he leaned forwards, whispering into Itachi's ear. "The whole clan gathered together to cast a genjutsu on the fox. He was to be our ace in the hole- with him, we could take over the whole world. Unfortunately..." he shrugged, not realizing that he had pretty much driven Itachi to the very edge. "...it turned out that the fox's mind didn't work the same way as a human's. It went insane and attacked the village. Don't worry, my son- we understand how it works now. The next time we find a Bijuu, we'll know how to control it. You'll even get to join in, and those amazing eyes of yours will lead the way in breaking down the monster's mind..."

That was it. That was _it_. No excuse would be worth _anything_ at this point.

Itachi just saw red.

He enjoyed it. He had always known that he loved blood on his hands, but he really, _really_ enjoyed it. Killing his clan- every last man, woman, and child- had felt better than he ever would have expected it to. He was in a haze of gore and death and bodies, and he had almost made a step towards the rest of the village before he realized that he had lost control.

There he was. A thirteen year old murderer. A thirteen year old psychopathic serial killer.

Evil.

That was what they would call him. _Evil_.

Even as he stepped into his home again and looked down at his parents, he heard a scream behind him. His little brother. He hadn't killed the boy? He didn't remember... everything was just a haze of blood in his memory.

His eyes stung, but he still stared right into Sasuke's own. A boy without a family. A little boy that _hated_ him as a _monster_.

"I killed them." he said, not really knowing what to say to his little brother. He'd always just wanted the best for the boy, but he managed to keep it together long enough to realize what he had to do.

Sasuke needed a reason to live on. So Itachi would give him one.

It was short and messy, but at the end of the Genjutsu, he was sure that Sasuke would come after him with everything he had.

He left. He knew where he was going. He was going to the Akatsuki- the group hailed as being composed by the worst demons on the planet. He would fit right in.  
...And speaking of demons...

He paused, heartbroken. He had always been there to look out for the little demon boy he had brought into the world with his own two hands. That little boy with hair like gold and eyes so deep and blue that the sky and the sea paled in comparison. The boy that looked _so_ much like his... _friend_... Minato.

Sasuke would be fine. This village would dote on someone like him. But Naruto would be torn apart by them like hungry wolves to the slaughter.

_Naruto._

...slowly... he moved one foot, then the other. He had been heading for the gates, but now... he knew where he was going. He knew where he _had_ to go.

He just hoped that the Akatsuki would understand...

Lightly hopping from roof to roof, he headed towards the orphanage, heart pounding in his chest. Any moment now, someone would find his handiwork and the whole village would go on high alert. He had to get Naruto and leave before that could happen. He settled on the windowsill of the upper floor room, looking inside. A large group of boys were sprawled all around the room, some asleep, most of them talking and laughing. Itachi frowned when he realized Naruto wasn't in the room. Where was he? He needed to move fast...

After one last glance to make sure he hadn't just missed the boy, he jumped to the roof, wondering. The times he had come to this place to check up on the boy, the blond seemed to have taken a peculiar interest in hiding on the roof. He pressed his luck, hoping that it would be the same this time.

And there he was. Curled in a corner behind some boxes, the boy sobbed brokenly into his knees. Even knowing that there was simply no time left, Itachi still knelt down next to the boy, wondering how to comfort him.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a whisper, and the six-year-old's head snapped up, eyes open wide. As soon as he realized there was someone in front of him, he covered his face with his arms, begging-

"-please don't hurt it! It doesn't mean to be bad! Please! Please don't..." the pleading trailed off into weak sobs as the boy tried to get away from him. Itachi stared at him, mouth open slightly.

He was stunned. He had thought that he might be able to protect the boy just a little, if only by bringing him to the orphanage. But this... this was just...

"...shh..." he whispered, holding out a hand and brushing a piece of hair out of the boy's amazing blue eyes. He realized he still had blood on his hands, but he forced himself to ignore it. "...it's okay. I won't hurt you. I'm here to help you." Naruto quieted, wide eyes staring into Itachi's own deep black ones. Realizing that the boy was actually starting to calm down, he kept speaking. "It's all going to be okay. I know that people do bad things to you, Naruto. I'm going to take you far away from this place so they can't ever hurt you again. Okay?" the little boy stared up at him in awe, eyes red from crying.

"...are you an... angel?" he asked, almost like he was afraid to speak up. Itachi opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it at once. What was he supposed to _say_ to that?

"...I'm... not an angel." he finally managed. "...but I'll still save you... if you let me."

Naruto stared at him with something Itachi could only say was akin to hope. But then it sank back below the surface, and Naruto curled up on himself.

"...you're a nice angel." he decided, quietly. "But you're going to take it away to hell. That's what the scary lady said. She said that it's going to hell and it'll never come back out. She said that it doesn't deserve anything else. You're going to take it to hell."

"No, I'm not going to-" Itachi froze at the sounds of shouting coming from far behind him. Hyper-sensitively panicked as he was, he realized he had spent far too much time here. He held out his hands to show Naruto, still trying to be patient, even while he felt lightheaded from nervousness at being caught. "See this?" Itachi had to wonder if this was the best way to make the boy understand, but he figured it would work fast if nothing else. "This is blood. Blood from a bunch of people I just killed. I'm not an angel and I'm not taking you to hell. We're both monsters, right?" the boy's eyes widened, and Itachi felt his heart sink. He had heard people call the boy that to his face. He had just never thought that invoking that word would be what saved them in the end... "I'm a monster and I want to help you because you're a monster too. But we need to go fast or else everyone's going to come and hurt us both for being monsters. Understand?"

"You're like... it?" the boy gaped. Itachi nodded quickly, glancing back over his shoulder. _No time_.

A tiny hand landed on his own, and his head turned back, eyes wide at the look of forlorn hope in the blond's eyes.

"...and you're taking it... with you?"

"Yes. _Please_."

Naruto nodded, and Itachi felt himself relax a little bit. Gently taking the boy and setting him on his back, he stood, running as far and as fast as he could.

He had just been promoted to ANBU captain, given in to his darker desires and killed his whole clan, driven his brother to loathe him, and made plans to join the Akatsuki with a six year old boy that called himself 'it' and had the most dangerous demon ever known to exist sealed within his stomach.

All in all, a rather eventful day...

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...and there you have it. First chapter, people. Read and review if you can...

And also, as a side note- I _really_ don't like it when people make Itachi and the Akatsuki all friendly and fluffy and 'fighting for good reasons'. They're a bunch of _loons_ and I intend to portray them as such. Sure, they're going to like Naruto, but they aren't exactly going to be 'oh, lets all kill the bad guys' and 'we have to give money to the families of the people we've killed' and the like. They're a bunch of freakin' _psychotic murderers_- they aren't going to change their ways just because some thirteen year old with mutated pinkeye brought a six year old mentally-disturbed blond to their ranks. As I said, they're going to like Naruto and become a lot like a family to him, but they're _not_ going to go all fluff-bucket just to protect his juvenile, naive sense of right and wrong. If anything, they'll just make sure to corrupt him at a younger age so he doesn't have a problem with it when he grows up...

_No_, they aren't collecting the Bijuu and they _won't_ be collecting them, either. Naruto's too cute to be that depressed yet. He doesn't get to that level until later. XP

Thanks for reading. Nessa out.


	2. The Third Monster

Never actually _watched_ Shippuden, but I'm trying this anyways. If I've _greatly_ screwed up Konan's personality, _please_ tell me. I'm playing this whole chapter by ear...

Didn't put up a disclaimer last chapter, so here it is: I OWN NOTHING.

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Itachi settled down against a tree, slipping the sleeping Naruto off his back and onto the ground. He wanted to keep running, but he could tell that his body would become worn out and exhausted before his desire to flee left him, so he decided to take a break while he still could.

Naruto's body was light. Far _too_ light. He had felt the emaciated body pressed against his back while he was running, but now that they had stopped, Itachi wondered if the reason why Naruto wore such a big, baggy shirt was to hide his starvation.

Now that he was sitting down, his legs were _very_ sore. He shouldn't have needed a break at all, but mostly it was out of an overworked body.

Activating his Mangekyo Sharingan had taken a lot out of him, and combined with the energy needed to take out his whole clan, he had barely had enough left over to run them to their current position. _Sleep_ was what he needed, but he wouldn't let himself drift off- not as he was, a criminal on the run. He couldn't sleep yet.

Resting against the tree, he winced at the pain in his legs. This wasn't going too well. If his legs cramped up and he couldn't run, then they were both screwed. He knew he would be immediately executed, but Naruto? What did _he_ have to look forward to- a life of pain and constant hate from the people around him? No- better to rest while he still could and bring Naruto to a place where he wouldn't be tortured and yelled at every day of his life...

"May I offer some assistance?"

Itachi was on his feet at once, a kunai held to the neck of the person who had snuck up on him. How had she managed to get so close without him noticing?

The pretty young woman had neatly cropped blue hair with a paper flower delicately tucked behind her ear. The two of them stared at one another for a moment, sizing each other up, before Itachi slowly backed off as he realized what she was wearing.

"...you..." his eyes narrowed, glancing at the cloak that had red clouds all over it. "You're Akatsuki. You've been following me?"

"That's right, Itachi Uchiha." she bowed a little, a soft smile on her face. "I came with the letter. We wanted to make sure you didn't harm yourself after receiving such horrible news, but I'm happy to see you safe and sound and even considering your own wellbeing after such an experience. Are you injured in any way?" trying to hide how stunned he was that a member of the cruel organization Akatsuki could_possibly_ be _worried_ about someone's health, he shook his head. The woman responded with a smile, her blue eyes shining with a gentle light. "That's good to hear. I take it that you'll be joining forces with us, then?"

"...yes, I will be accepting your invitation." he looked away, trying to avoid glancing down at the little boy by his side. But she still seemed to pick out what he was thinking about anyways.

"For your sake? Or his?"

Itachi paused, wondering. Then, he schooled his face into a frown, glaring at her to get her to shut up.

"...I see no point in answering that question."

"But I do." she glanced over at the blond, eyes sad. "You brought him all this way, so he obviously means a lot to you. I heard some of the intelligence, but I don't want to make assumptions, so... who is he?"

Itachi opened his mouth for a moment, but then he shut it and wondered if he should really say anything. Naruto was his responsibility now. Should he really tell someone he had only just met who he was? ...but they had been watching him for so long... he bet that _someone_ in the Akatsuki knew about the boy. This woman probably knew exactly who he was. She was just being polite by going through the usual social dance of asking.

"...an outcast from the village." he said quietly, staring at the head of blond hair with a spark of affection in his guarded eyes. "Abused and neglected from birth. He deserved a chance at a... better life."

"...poor baby..." she stared down at Naruto with a sad look on her face. She almost made a move to reach out and touch him, but realized better when she noticed how Itachi immediately tensed up as soon as her hand came anywhere near the boy. She slowly withdrew, smiling gently at the stressed thirteen year old. "...don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt him."

"All the same, I'd like to ask you not to try that again." it was for Naruto's sake, of coarse. The little boy had been so terrified of him at first- how would he react to waking up with a complete stranger in his personal space?

"Very well." she conceded with a bow, and- thankfully- didn't try to go near Naruto again. "Then let us speak of what is to happen, for a moment. If you will allow me to be your guide, then we will meet up with our leader Pain within the next four days. I have brought some small food after seeing that you did not bother to take any provisions..." Itachi almost felt like hitting himself for that one. "...but we may still need to stop at the next village to get a little more food. I was not expecting your little friend or I would have packed accordingly."

"Is that a good idea?" Itachi looked up, alarmed. Any village nearby would undoubtedly get the news from Konoha very soon about his rampage. If they got there after the news had come, they would be captured or would need to kill many people there in order to escape, let alone get any food. If they got there _before_ the news came, when the messenger arrived to proclaim the news, he would be remembered almost at once- and then people would know which direction he had been heading in, greatly speeding up the search for him. Almost like she was seeing these thoughts flash through his eyes, the blue-haired young woman reassured him.

"Oh, don't worry- I didn't mean _we_ in _that_ way. I would go alone, of coarse. No one in Akatsuki would want our new ally to get caught so easily, would we?" Itachi allowed himself a to release a breath he didn't know he had been holding, mentally shaking himself. The woman was _Akatsuki_- she wasn't _stupid_. She had probably thought of that _long_ before he had, and he was just being stupid...

"...I never caught your name." he felt so stupid right now for showing so much weakness to someone as powerful as an Akatsuki member. Everything was just off-balance right now. He didn't have a family or a place to stay... he was a criminal instead of an elite guardian for Konoha... and he had an abused little boy to take care of on _top_ of all that? No wonder he was shaken up...

"It's Konan." she smiled to him, nodding her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Itachi Uchiha. You _and_ our little friend here. May I ask his name?"

"...it's Naruto." he set a hand on the sleeping boy's shoulder, wondering if he should wake the blond up or not. On one hand, the blond might want to meet their new companion. On the other hand, their companion might not really want to meet _him_ in the level of dementia he had retreated into...

"It's alright. Let him sleep." Konan was looking at the same thing he was, and he nodded, removing the hand slowly so as to not wake his new charge. The boy deserved some sleep anyways. Sleep was when you could escape the hell around you and live in dreams of your own making. Sleep was how you could escape even the worst of circumstances and hide yourself away in a place you felt at home. Sleep was when your body recovered and your mind was let out to play.

Yes. Let him sleep. Above all else, the boy needed it.

...well... maybe that and food. But that could wait until dawn.

He watched from behind half-lidded eyes as Konan went about choosing a soft patch of grass to situate herself on, sitting down formally and making Itachi wonder if it was even _possible_ for her to be impolite. Watching her for a moment, he finally spoke up, trying to ignore how hard it was to keep himself awake.

"...what's Akastuki like?" he wondered, the shimmering night sky reflected in his black eyes. He had heard only the horror stories from the other ANBU about a group of the worst ghouls on the planet that had neither a conscience nor a heart for it to dwell in. Such malevolent and horrifying devils that even hell wouldn't take their souls if they died. ...Konan had pretty much broken both of _those_ stereotypes as soon as she showed up, so now he was left floundering. What _exactly_ was he signing himself into?

"...It's... interesting." she admitted, staring up at the same sky that he found himself taking shelter under. "Don't get me wrong- we're not all the most pleasant people to be around- but it's still rather nice to have people around you that don't shun you, no matter how many people you kill or what your reason for doing so is. You make friends and enemies alike... but everyone watches one-another's back, even if you _hate_ each other. That's just who we are."

'_Like a big family_...' was Itachi's final thought before he drifted off to sleep. He knew Konan wasn't about to attack him- not with how he was going to be her ally for however long he was in the Akatsuki. And besides- he was leaving his village because he didn't trust them not to try and kill him anymore. If he couldn't trust her with that, then why was he going into the Akatsuki in the first place...?

It felt like he had barely gotten to sleep for an hour or two before he was violently roused by something hitting his back.

Eyes snapping open, he almost reached for his Kunai before realizing who it was that had awakened him so... _startlingly_.

Naruto was sobbing into his side, tiny fingers clutched into Itachi's clothes with his head pushed up against the older boy's back. He looked even more pathetic than usual if possible as he tried to curl up to make himself a smaller target, his entire body trembling with barely restrained panic.

Itachi didn't have to look far for the cause.

Konan was staring at the boy in horror, kneeling where the six year old had been sleeping before with a piece of traditional marching rations in her hand. From there, it was fairly easy to piece together what had just happened.

The Akatsuki woman must not have realized what Itachi meant by 'abused' and had decided to come see if she could tempt the boy with food. Naruto had awoken to a strange place with a strange woman offering him strange food... and had dove for the one familiar thing in the whole scenario.

Itachi.

Shooting Konan a glare, Itachi gently managed to untangle Naruto from him, lifting the boy and allowing him to bury his face in the thirteen-year-old's shoulder while he calmed down.

"Shh... relax... it's okay. Don't be scared, Naruto..." the little blond's grip slowly relaxed and Itachi was soon faced with a pair of eyes the same blue as a cloudless sky. He stroked a hand through the little one's hair, trying not to wince at how much scar tissue his fingers passed over. Naruto took a moment to regain his surroundings before looking at Itachi with fresh tears in his eyes.

"...it's... it's scared. It doesn't want to hurt again. It isn't being bad... promise..."

"I know that, Naruto. You're being very good. Don't be scared... we're going to a place where no one's going to hurt you anymore, okay?"

"...it's... going to a place with... more monsters?" he asked, eyes wide. Itachi blinked once before glancing up at the Akatsuki member. How would she react...?

"...yes, Naruto. We're going to a place where there's lots more monsters like you and I. This is one of them." he turned Naruto around to face Konan, who had by then schooled her face not to show the fury that boiled just below the surface. She smiled gently at Naruto who stared back at her in wonder.

"Hi there." she murmured, holding up the ball of rations. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to see if you were hungry, that's all. My name's Konan, little one. What's your name?"

"Demon." he whispered, staring at her with innocent eyes. She almost failed at managing the level of apathy needed to keep ahold of herself after_that_ one, but at last she managed a smile again, if a slightly less enthusiastic one.

"It isn't Naruto? Isn't that your name?"

He shook his head fearfully.

"People call it Demon. That's it's name. If it calls itself anything else, then people hurt it." Konan sat back on her heels, face still formed into something that looked more like a grimace than a smile.

"Your friend calls you Naruto, doesn't he? Don't you like _that_ name better?"

"...friend...?" it sounded like he had never heard the word before in his life. Thankfully, the Akatsuki member managed to brush it off easily.

"Never mind." she corrected herself, holding out her hand and offering him the food again. "Why don't you eat something, okay? You look hungry."

Naruto stared at the food like he didn't really believe someone was offering him something to eat. When she pushed it a little bit closer to him he finally took it reverently, like he had just been given something utterly precious.

Itachi made sure to keep a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he ate to remind the boy not to eat_ too_ fast or he would be sick. Food with such a high level of protein would only hurt the boy's fragile body further if he gorged himself on it...

Once he had fed and Itachi had managed to lull the boy back to sleep, he looked up into Konan's eyes, making _absolutely_ sure she knew he didn't like what she had done.

"Don't wake him up, you said." he murmured, making sure to stroke a hand through the boy's hair like he was petting a fox kit. "It's alright, you said. ...No. It isn't alright. _He_ isn't alright. That's why I couldn't just leave him there."

"...he called himself... _it?_" she whispered, staring down at the fluff of golden hair that was nuzzled into the Uchiha's knee. "His name... it was..."

"It's Naruto." he nodded. "But that's not what he learned it as. He learned his name as 'demon'. He learned it as 'worthless brat that doesn't deserve to live'. I'd like to apologize for the trouble, but..." he paused, glancing down at the head of blond hair. Naruto had clutched the cloth with one tiny hand, not willing to let go even while he slept. "...I wonder if... any of the Akatsuki are adverse to others calling them 'Monster'. It's... the only thing that calms him down. Hearing that others are monsters... makes him feel like they won't hurt him. Humans hurt him. People hurt him. Monsters are... like him."

Konan had nothing to say to that. For a moment, the two of them both stared at the same point- the small hands that clutched onto Itachi's pants leg- before the blue haired woman spoke up.

"...I can't say he'll be treated _well_ in Akatsuki." she said at last. "But he will... fit in well. Let it stay at that..."

"...yes..." Itachi agreed, heart feeling lighter than it had all day. "...perhaps... that is what he's needed all along." He didn't need to add the silent _what both of us needed_ at the end of that sentence.

The rest of the morning was rather more subdued than the day's rather _invigorating_ beginning. Konan gave Itachi a few pieces of the same sort of food she had offered Naruto, and he had to admit that he probably didn't want the boy to eat them again. They were far too full of nutrients that fully grown soldiers were supposed to get while bringing heavy loads far across the country, not things that would gently bolster a malnourished little boy's broken system back to health. His body was more likely to go into shock than _that_ happening...

Itachi's legs were sore as hell, but in comparison to the day before when he had been running full tilt for hours, today was like standing still. The Akatsuki member took off at a very light walk down a path that the Uchiha could barely make out still existed. She offered twice to take Itachi's burden from his shoulders, but both times he refused. Naruto would stay by _his_ side, not hers.

They came across a village within the first two days, small and barely standing... but still a good place to refuel. Itachi was forced to explain to Konan why she should _not_ get very rich foods for Naruto while he was still recovering, and the woman walked off with a scrap of paper in one hand with the things a person _should_ eat while they were malnourished. That left Itachi and Naruto alone for a little while, and the little boy looked up at him with wide eyes.

"...is the lady going away?" he asked, obviously worried. Itachi shook his head, pulling the little boy onto his lap.

"She's just going for food, that's all." he corrected, putting a hand to the blond's back. Naruto's blue eyes stared up at him in wonder, and he raised an eyebrow. "...hmm? What's that look for, anyways?"

"...n... nothing... it's sorry..." the younger of the two ducked his head, looking scared and embarrassed. Itachi quirked an eyebrow at that, curious.

"... you know, if you want to say something, you're allowed to..."

Naruto fidgeted with the hem of Itachi's sleeve for a minute glancing everywhere but at him.

"...it ... it wants to know..."

"Yes?" the Uchiha prompted, and Naruto seemed to finally find his voice.

"...is Mister... _really_ a monster like it is?"

Itachi flinched at that. ...but when he closed his eyes, guilt weighing heavily on his heart... he knew the answer.

"...yes." he murmured. "...I killed... a lot of people. I'm a monster because I _like_ killing people, Naruto. I'm not a good little monster like you are. I'm a bad person." he weakly smiled down into the blond's innocent face, brushing a little hair out of his eyes. "But I'm still a monster. So I'll look out for you, okay?"

When he looked into those same blue eyes as his old friend, he expected them to be looking back at him scornfully or full of fear. ...instead, they weren't looking at him at all, as the boy had buried his face in Itachi's chest.

"...thank you..." he realized that Naruto was crying, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he just put a hand to the back of the blond's head, closing his own eyes as well.

He knew that Konan would come back soon. She would interject her overly-polite self into their worlds once more, and Naruto would have something to eat. They would be on the run again soon, and he wouldn't have a single thing he could do about it.

...but until that moment came... he still had this one. A moment of trust and belief and every emotion a person could feel pouring out all at once into one single absolute memory of _feeling_.

A moment to treasure.

And this time he spent with Naruto was swiftly becoming the best treasure he could have ever hoped for...

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Once more, read and review. And PLEASE tell me if I've REALLY screwed up Konan. I'm sort of nervous because I have no idea how she actually acts...

On a side note, I'm watching Beowulf for the first time right now. I actually really like the mother monster- her braid is pure ownage on a stick. And old Beowulf is REALLY epic- old people should NOT be able to fight like that... XD

By the way, I got the whole Itachi 'best treasure' thing from my friend's parents. Apparently that's how they feel about their daughter... and I thought it would be cute to make mini-tachi like that, too.

Nessa out.


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